Media personality and author, Japheth Omojuwa, has responded to former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili’s letter accusing him of enlisting her as a director in his company, Alpha Reach without consent.
On April 9, Ezekwesili via her Twitter handle, threatened to sue Omojuwa for alleged impersonation in a letter she wrote through her lawyers, Falana and Falana Chambers, to the social commentator for his alleged action.
The former minister expressed shock that she was listed as a director in Omojuwa’s media firm, Alpha Reach.
The revelation was made in a report by a foreign medium, BuzzFeed, which exposed the role Omojuwa and other influencers allegedly played in the social media campaign for the release of alleged fraudster, Alex Saab, a Colombian who has been declared wanted in the United States and is facing extradition charges in Cape Verde.
Documents circulating online show that Omojuwa’s company, which was registered with Corporate Affairs Commission in 2012, has Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai, and Ezekwesili as directors.
The company, Alpha Reach, is believed to have played an active role in the campaign #FreeAlexSaab.
According to the letter, Ezekwesili said on March 31, 2021, she was contacted by a person inquiring from her if she knew about her position as a director in the aforementioned company.
The person who initially contacted her later forwarded a document from Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) showing her name listed as one of the directors of the company which later turned out to be owned by Omojuwa.
The letter stated that when the former Minister reached out to Omojuwa for an explanation, he confirmed he was indeed the owner of the company and that she is not involved in it at all.
It added that Ezekwesili asked Omojuwa for the incorporation documents of the company which he promised to provide but never did.
She demanded a public explanation and apology from him for using her name without her consent.
In his reaction, Omojuwa responded to her in a letter written by his counsel, Babalakin and Co and shared Wednesday April 14.
The letter dated April 14, 2021 was titled, ‘Demand For Full Disclosure And Public Apology By Mrs Obiageli Ezekwesili In Respect Of Alpha Reach Ltd’.
Posting copies of his own letter on his Twitter handle, Omojuwa wrote;
Pastor @obyezeks, you served me legal notice publicly, so I was left with no choice but to serve you publicly too. PS: I won’t react to the unwarranted provocation from you, your sons & allies. You betrayed my loyalty, service & respect to you, for reasons I don’t understand. xx pic.twitter.com/Hbj8Atmjn4
— JJ. Omojuwa (@Omojuwa) April 14, 2021
The media personality insisted he sought the former Minister’s counsel to enlist her as a director in his company.
The letter partly reads;
Our client (Omojuwa) sought and obtained your client’s (Ezekwesili’s) consent before listing her as a Director of the company, based on their close relationship.
Omojuwa said both El-Rufai and Ezekwesili were removed as directors of Alpha Reach Company in 2015 because it was sure that El-Rufai would become governor of Kaduna State and Ezekwesili would be appointed a minister in the regime of the President.
His letter stated;
It was not until 2015 when it was certain that HE Mallam El-Rufai was going to become the Governor of Kaduna State and the likelihood that your client (Ezekwesili) could be appointed a Minister by the then President-elect Muhammadu Buhari GCFR, that they were both removed as Directors of the company.
You might recall that your client (Ezekwesili) honoured the ruling party’s (APC) invitation to deliver a keynote speech at a public forum in Abuja in 2014, and there was a general expectation that she would play a role in President Buhari’s government. Indeed, your client (Ezekwesili) leaned on our client (Omojuwa) to publish and distribute her speech at the APC forum.
Omojuwa then went down memory lane describing how they became friends and built a very cordial relationship for many years before it went sour.
On Ezekwesili’s request for the full disclosure of documents of the said company, Omojuwa said he will only make that available to her after she has signed an undertaking that it will be treated with utmost confidentiality.
Omojuwa further said the ex-minister told him in 2012 to “pull in your brother(s), Chine and Chuba (Ezekwesili’s biological sons) into what you do from now on.”
The blogger described Ezekwesili as a benefactor who “took him under her wings and even assisted in paying part of his rent in Abuja in 2012”.
He, however, said his relationship with the ex-minister deteriorated because he is no longer the “impressionable boy” who can be controlled to fight social media wars by proxy.
Read copies of his letter below;
